Public Health Ethics, Law, and Policy

The public health ethics, law and policy stream of AABHL aims to encourage discussion of ethical, legal and policy issues relating to all aspects of public health. This has been a growing area of academic interest, especially over the last ten years.

Relevant topics include ethical, legal and policy issues relating to: infectious disease, chronic disease, ‘lifestyle choices,’ environmental impacts on health, pollution, socio-economic determinants, health systems, indigenous health, migration, climate change, prevention and population approaches to health and diagnosis, health and welfare etc. We are particularly keen to involve early career researchers in this stream and ensure that the developing activities in public health ethics, law and policy within the region are strengthened in the future.

Current stream leaders invite you to contact them via email to help shape the future directions of this stream: [email protected]

Stream Leaders

Elizabeth Fenton

Stream Leader


Elizabeth is a senior lecturer in the Bioethics Centre at the University of Otago with a background in philosophy and public health. She was previously a fellow in the Program in Ethics and Health at Harvard University, and a senior policy and research analyst at the U.S. Presidential Bioethics Commission under the Obama administration. Her research focuses on ethical issues in public health, global health, and health policy.

Chris Degeling

Stream Leader


Chris is Associate Professor at the at the Australian Centre for Engagement, Evidence and Values at the University of Wollongong, Australia. As a social scientist and empirical bioethicist with a background in veterinary medicine –  Chris’ research focuses on the intersection of public health ethics, public health policy, communicable disease control and One Health.